ON  BETACINCHONIA. 
417 
ON  BETACINCHONIA,  A  NEW  ALKALOID  FROM  CHINOIDINE. 
By  Willmar  Schwabe. 
In  the  laboratory  of  Mr.  Eder,  Pharmaceutist  of  Dresden,  the 
author  had  occasion  to  purify  commercial  chinoidine,  and  then 
observed  a  new  alkaloid,  of  which  a  number  of  salts  were  pre- 
pared and  carefully  examined.  The  elementary  analyses  were 
performed  under  the  supervision  of  Professor  Stein,  and  the 
crystals  analyzed  by  Professor  Losche.  The  behaviour  to  sol- 
vents and  the  crystalline  forms  of  the  alkaloid  and  its  salts,  as 
prepared  in  different  ways,  exclude  the  idea  of  its  being  a  mix- 
ture of  two  or  more  cinchona-alkaloids  already  known. 
The  chinoidine  did  not  yield  a  clear  solution  with  alcohol  and 
diluted  acids.  The  solution  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid  was  diluted 
with  water  and  allowed  to  settle ;  the  clear  filtrate  was  precipi- 
tated with  ammonia  ;  the  whitish,  rapidly  darkening  precipitate 
was  washed  with  cold  and  hot  water,  and  carefully  dried  until 
brittle.  This  purified  chinoidine  showed  a  conchoidal  fracture, 
became  sticky  in  water,  and  dissolved  clear  in  acids,  but  was  not 
entirely  soluble  in  alcohol.  Its  hot  alcoholic  solution  was  dilu- 
ted with  alcohol  and  allowed  to  rest.  In  a  few  days  the  clear 
solution  was  distilled,  when  the  purified  chinoidine,  now  per- 
fectly soluble  in  alcohol  and  water,  remained  behind.  It  was, 
however,  not  a  homogeneous  uncrystallizable,  but  rather  a 
gummy  mass;  and  the  surface  of  the  sticks  into  which  it  had 
been  rolled,  contained  a  thin  crystalline  crust,  which,  after  its 
removal  and  careful  washing  with  alcohol  to  free  it  from  chinoi- 
dine, was  a  white  substance  identical  with  the  new  alkaloid. 
The  difficultly-soluble  sediment  from  the  alcoholic  solution  as 
above  is  in  Geiger's  Pharmacie,  ii.,  by  Liebig,"  stated  to  be 
impure  cinchonia.  It  had,  from  adhering  chinoidine,  a  black- 
brown  color  and  resinous  appearance.  After  solution  in  a 
diluted  acid,  the  filtrate  was  precipitated  with  ammonia,  and  the 
precipitate,  after  washing  with  cold  and  hot  water  and  drying, 
was  triturated  with  alcohol  of  .845  and  diluted  with  more  alco- 
hol. Next  day  the  brown  tincture  was  decanted  and  the  residue 
washed  with  some  alcohol,  which  was  displaced  with  water.  It 
now  had  a  much  lighter  color,  was  again  dissolved  in  dilute 
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